


You'll see

by donttouchtheneednoggle



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Banter, Canon Compliant, Episode: s04e12-13 The Sword in the Stone, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of torture, mild injury detail, soft, the world does not deserve elyan, they are the best knights Fight Me, they really went through it in these eps huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27766114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donttouchtheneednoggle/pseuds/donttouchtheneednoggle
Summary: Elyan and Gwaine stuck in a cell together and being noble idiots. That's it that's the fic.
Relationships: Elyan & Gwaine (Merlin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 43





	You'll see

Elyan sank to the floor, back against the wall next to Gwaine.

"I don't know how much longer he's got," he confessed quietly, looking over at Gaius who was asleep or unconscious - Elyan honestly wasn’t sure if there was a difference at this point - on the bunk at the other side of the cell.

"He can't die. He can't." Gwaine was sitting with his eyes shut and his fists clenched, chest heaving with pain.

Elyan looked at him. "Merlin?"

Gwaine nodded wearily. "Merlin."

With what seemed like tremendous effort he opened his eyes and grinned at him. It made the gashes on his face stand out painfully.

"But we'll be out of here soon, you know.”

Elyan eyed him with tired scepticism. “Yeah?”

It wasn't like they hadn't tried escaping, but the cell was too heavily guarded.

“Yeah. Percival will come charging through that door all knight in shining armour and sweep us both off our feet, and we'll swoon and fight for his favour. You’ll see, Ellie."

Elyan laughed. “Sure.” He paused and glowered. “What happened to ‘Don’t call me that on pain of death?’”

Gwaine grinned cheekily. “Uhh, we got imprisoned by a murderous witch hell bent on destroying us all?”

Elyan laughed again at that. “Fair enough actually.”

Gwaine’s gaze fell on the bread in his hands like he was seeing it for the first time.

He frowned. "Where's yours?"

"Ate it already. Not like there was much!" Elyan lied easily, as his stomach felt like it was clawing itself to shreds.

Too easily.

It worried him. Gwaine was normally as perceptive as he was, but he just nodded and began tearing up his portion of bread.

Elyan glared when he offered him half anyway. "No. You need your strength."

"So do you," Gwaine insisted stubbornly. "That bit of bread isn't nearly enough."

"Gwaine-" Elyan forced himself to sound practical, knowing it would be the only way to get him to eat at all, and not scream _look at the state of you_ \- "You're the only way we're getting any food at all. If you can’t fight, we’re all going to starve."

Gwaine’s eyes twinkled with slow amusement. "I see. I’m just the provider. No sentiment to be found here."

"Absolutely," Elyan replied, completely deadpan, and Gwaine chuckled and actually began to eat.

Elyan watched him with satisfaction. It was true: Gwaine and Gaius needed the food much more than he did. Gwaine was fighting and Gaius was old, and Elyan was just sitting in the cell all day. He could go without food fine.

For a while.

He thought.

He hoped.

He pushed a lot of things in his mind to the side with that hope. The excruciating pain in the side of his neck had faded to a dull throb, but he could still feel the ghost of it coursing through his whole body, screaming, driving all sense from him.

Yeah, he was deliberately not thinking about that, and it seemed to be working. For now. Too focused on survival.

If they ever got out he had an inkling that wouldn’t work so well any more.

Looking around for a distraction, his eyes were drawn to Gwaine’s bare torso, and the mosaic of black and blue and red that covered it.

That wasn't even the worst of it; Elyan was more concerned with his ragged breaths and how one side of his ribcage looked almost... dented.

"Enjoying the view?" Gwaine lips quirked up in a weary smirk, not without a spark of mischief still.

Elyan ignored him, very used to his flirting and very not interested.

He did roll his eyes though, and the way Gwaine lit up at that made him want to cry a little for some reason.

Maybe because the idiot was covered in bruises and every breath sounded like agony.

If one of his ribs punctured a lung… Elyan opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

If one of his ribs punctured a lung Gwaine would drown in his own blood and there wouldn't be a thing Elyan and certainly not Gaius could do about it.

Instead he plastered on a bright smile, trying to ignore the aching lump in his throat, and reached for Gwaine’s discarded shirt.

"Come on, Sir Exhibitionist, it's bloody freezing in here."

Gwaine raised his arms a little and let Elyan help him dress, gritting his teeth and trying not to cry out.

After that they sat in silence for a bit, then Elyan set his jaw and spoke determinedly.

"I will fight next time."

Gwaine turned his head painfully to look at him. "No."

"You can't keep at this. I tried to stop them last time, I'll- I'll try harder next time, I don't know, I'll-"

" _No_."

This time Gwaine's tone and glare were so unexpectedly ferocious that Elyan broke off.

" _Listen to me._ You are not going out there. _I_ will fight. The only way you are ever leaving this cell is in Percival’s magnificent arms. Do you understand me?"

Elyan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

“ _Elyan._ ”

" _Gwaine._ Look, it’s not like you're in much position to stop me." He indicated his myriad injuries.

Gwaine snorted ruefully, and just like that he was back to joking. "I won't have to anyway, it's me Morgana hates. I think she must fancy me."

Another eye roll. "I'm sure.” Elyan shifted to wrap his arm gently round him. “You should sleep while you can."

"Mmm," Gwaine dropped his head onto his shoulder- there was no more comfortable way to sleep in the cell - and snuggled carefully against his side. "It's gonna be ok you know, Ellie."

"Yeah." He sighed, then pressed a kiss to the top of Gwaine's head and rested his cheek against him.

He closed his eyes, hoping to all the gods that he was right.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I might do a part 2 dealing with the aftermath, we'll see  
> Comments and kudos appreciated :)
> 
> Come hang out on [tumblr](https://donttouchtheneednoggle.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
